“ioe tg 10066- 10076) : {2025 RE RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992 iN Ime RV
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MEMO FOR FILE

SUBJECT Cc : ors (late TSD) and Jim McCord's Cuban Activities

te Ben Colling “phoned to say that one of the fellowsin ja.
is ‘still around, and after he got out he i ‘inquired around and got no
indication that McCord Was ever involved. Hone of the other OTS people: _
have any recollection of McCord's involvement.

2. I said that I was sure that the man who was rolled up

. night not have any idea pf MeCord's invotvenent, if indeed he was .

involved, If McCord 's involvelenent was merely headquarters Blanks
and no releasing operation was ever undertaken his role might never ~
surface. However, we had been told that planning-did involve. TD
pople at the tine, along with -ecurity. For instance, I knew that

the Security man with TSD at the tine had a job of hand -yolding vith

. the families of the thre men; there may be some TSD record of that.
which would lead to someone who would Imowe .
| Be ColLing was pulled out of a staff necting to tall to me 2 and a |
said he would call back later. |

SDB

ETURNTO CIA
sper Use Only
Do Not Reproduce

sty

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DIRE

CTOR ¢ OF CENTRAL

_ MEMORANDUM FOR:

an office in Havana in the El 1 Medico ‘Building which { is. ; occupied :-
_ partly i by. business concerns and. partly used for residential. apart
‘ments. Shortly: théreafter,® the Havana stae ion ‘obtained ‘the con:
currence of Ambassador Bonsal and Miss Carolyn O. Stacey, an
Embassy employee,’ to mount an audio operation against NCNA through:
the wall of the adjacent apartment in which Migs Stacey lived, - In « :
November 1959, the FE Division sent one case officer andene TSD :
technician to Havana; and the installation of a snicrophone and tape
recorder was completed 3 in Miss Stacey's apartment on 29 November -

1959. 3. - - Sos rr

on Be By June. 1940, it had become evident that ¢ two of her = 700
occupied by NCNA possibl + ‘housed. communicatic
were used for conferences, At that time Bey
case officer, went to Havana and explored the possi
the operation. a & managed to lease an. spartment<

; 3. Tn’ August 1950, a team of three TSD technicians who were.
. in Havana on a separate SR Division operation agreed to install the
woe additional equipment required for the NGNA operation, A second FE.
. ‘Division case officer, Robert Neet, came down to Havana; and he,
together “with the technicians, installed 3 robe microphone and tape
a recorder in the apartment obtained by[MiNi ey over the NONA office. oe t ce
1: ‘About this time the equipment was removed from Miss Stacey's =... .
: aztment, with the exceotion of the plastic probe which was deft eo ae Se

‘the wall.and plastered over,

Hl


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: David L. Christ {alias Carswell), Walter E.. Ssuminski {alias

4, As an additional security precaution to provide a safe ~. _
haven, and after consultation with the Acting Chief of Station, akey | - _-
to an apartment in the same building leased by Mrs. Marjorie tel
Lennox, an Embassy secretary, was obtains ed, Mrs, Lennox was
told that access to her apartment: was ne eded foz photographic S
surveillance’ ‘Purposes.

; 5.) si the probability that time
2nd sc enity ‘would work ‘against helding indefinitely the lease to
the apartment over-NCNA since the owners ‘of the building. were.
, cancelling sub-lessors' contracts ‘and recalling leases. It WAS, °
therefore, decided to install transmitters and switches in order to’
permit continued monitoring of the target ffom a distant listening”
post. Another. three.-man teara of TSD technicians consisting of

Taransky) and Thornton J. Anderson falias ‘Danbrent} documented: :
as tourists had been sent to Havana to install audio equipment in the-
Chinese Nationalist Embassy before it was due to be turned overto |
the Chinese Communits. This operation aborted, This teamwas.: -.
then sent to work on the installation of the transmit ters in the apart...
ment over the NCNA office. oe

6. At 2400 hours on 14 September, Christ, who with the a hd
her technicians was working in the target apartment, failed to kee ep: 7
scheduled appointment with Neet. At 0100 hours on the 15th of *
ptember, the apartment of Dire. Tannox was entered into and.
sched by Suban authorities, and.shs was teken into custedy, ”. 7
on 15 September, “Neat, the stay-behind agent and his: wife-

we

mY 4) Ww O

urs’
were pi icked up by the’ Cuban ¢ author rit ies and detained, 6

ciate.

As of today the a agent vernains in the custody of the Cuban’
authorities, His wife bas been released end is still in Havana, Neet

was released.1715 hours 16 September and has subsequently returned..
to Washington wheres he is being debriefed... Mrs.. Lennox waa =.) +.

subsequently released and has also zs eturne to Wa shington where she
is being debriefed, The three 7sD te eemniciens ‘remain in con: finement,
mal

Cnurist was last sez gated
the morning of 15 Septembar, At that time Christ did not appear

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men by alias and. have not. identified t them as Government or Agency
‘upon % by the technicians and station pez rsonnel to i be ‘used in “ie é en

: indicated that Neet ’ was his boss, and Neet consistently Ly denied. any
_ knowledge as-to why: she was. being. held,} “The: subd-1 ease ‘for’ the:

. apartment in which the men were caught is in the name of the stay-
behind - agent | with, the original jease being in the. name. Offi
FE Division. Case Oificer, me

; they were in custody, wee.

. leaving: ‘Cuba 2s touri ists since the filling out of the Janeing: card -

to have been maltreated,

8, “According to articles in n the Guban papers the three -..
technicians were arrested.while in the apar rtment over the NGNA
office and completing the installation of the equipment, The oo
press article adds that the key to Mrs, Lennox's apar rtment was
found on one, ‘of. the tect hnicians who identified the apartment. to:
which it belonged,” “AL Cudan press releases have referred t to ‘the

mployees..' Tt is unclear’ at present what’ story had béen: ‘agreed

they * ware caught . (While being interrogated with Neet, ‘Christ

is}. the.

- 9. Initial inforr motion indica ated 3 that. the. three technicians would |
be charged with espionage "against the people of Chinat'..._ Subsequent |
press releases have been unclear on this point,- An att exant by Consul =~:

Hugh. Kessler. to. conte act the three men at 1730-hours on 17. September (/---*
was unsuccessfil, . He- was Rot per mitted to see them but was told. :

; “The three technicians travelled to Ce cha ast cuzists. under ;
very tight commercial cover, two.of them working iez a. company in
New ‘York and the third, 0 ein Baltimore, , in each ‘case “the cover

door. : - Tale phone messages. and znail are e-picked'e p pe sriodicel ly} by an:
Agency contract employes. The men were ‘provided with this cover °
as well as unbackstopped home addresses for use when entering or:

requires this information, Subsequent to their detenti ion the home™
addresses have been paxtialiy backstopped so-that i nquiries will
dicate that someone with this alias name had lived in the apartment
20use in question, Insofar as tne cover companies are concerned, |.
forts are being made to provide a backstop to withstand inquiries ..
=f

rom the press shouid the Cubans reveal this information. In view

Bt 5

leat ev

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+ ART a Sete ork eeprom men Ee ke . . cm ane
STM ee Ae AE eae Mee een eke tek oe *

other inguirers...The law firm has bean brieie

. token, will keep in touch with him as the Cubans reveal their. ‘inten

- over the whole situation and determine if there war

‘and whe ether recognizable pactog grap
‘to the press.” “The two wives so > faz

cf the thinness cf the cover, it.is uncertain whether this will succeed, .
‘li, A cleared and Witting law firm in ‘Now York has been brisfed : ~
by Mr. i. Houston, on the situation with the though nt that inquiries _
received by the cover company could he referred to the firm of
tained by the press or.

re
was

lawyers from whom no comment would be obtain
ed on the éntire situa-

tion .so that they may be ina zB sition to sct it any action by them =
eppears ‘desirable or feasible: Te would aot appear thet snuch suppor
of any kind can be obtained from the law firm or the law firm ms in:

Cuba’ which : az e ‘Associated withthem.,

the

, 12, “Insofar ; as ‘the families are concerned, one of the technicians
is a ‘bachelor presently on home. leave be ween two tours in Spang) :
His. father, a cook in a diner in the Boston. Brea, Bas been contacted
by the Gifice of Security, and he will get in touch with Security i if.
he receives any inquiries on this matter, Security, by the sam

tions and, COUTSS of action. - ce ee

a 43, The wives of the cthe r two technicians have brea told what
has Happened anda are being contacted at least.once daily py TSD.- :
staffers and their wives who have bee en briefed on the Situation. A a _

conference with the two wives was held in TSD' en 1g
2

problems on which the Agsacy ‘could be of help, -

the wives are telling theiz neighbors t

trip. This story will be adjusted erentins. on what course
the Cuban Government takes, whether t 2 aliases remain nabroken 7

1

==

well...

Distribution:
DCI - Wi -3
DDCI- 1 ‘ Bait 1
BD/P - i OS -i
COPS -1 Ste i

Seer ener punter Re oe erie


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Sigewes

ed

NEMORAY DUM RE STESCALADE ,

. ¢ ne 20 Septerher 1956

; resord

There is a folder of sensitive non-725/ material vartainiy g to this. -
operation, retired under Black Taoe wrapping, Job #57-86/78, restricted .
to Offices of DOL, DDSI, DOP, S/H, o/iH/PL, o/vl/s, C/cl, 3/TSD, Director —
of Security and General Counsel. China Operations is not cited as an” . ; .
originator, addressee, or info resipient of any of this sensitive’ oe ; a
material. i . ; AR

WH/RMO

'
WE sat yy
“it Fu
face SEGRE TP,

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RELEASE CONT?

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TASK O2G8 Hoe aT Gis

Bet. 1, 1Ossth Ger
Billy Bo Gavpbell, Tonce

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Yaniol Lb. Corgve A 4 Geore
R. Teransky (Alies) arg ‘Oy

Cupan authorities £2 Sept nabew LG
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Other remrlrezaeats, dea., otvete
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Name, organization end telephone mbar Be roqunating vex tye ;

7. Name end telepaexe mucher of EUBERIK 2atesss at Teatin

The following pergounel cre rnowledgeabie ond “sate i wath th

respnasibilisy of aetivat ting Uaioe elar:

SOAP oem tay

tT. Ss: ESI ai/asp/0o/? .
Ais Cupmert ivisies, D/P

2. Major Rishart.
Orgnnicatioan:
Home Phone:

. OMiee Faene:

Ary qu): OS
Stari, As Hort

mOGES ard poaeg?

mE BGS 25

. Oramateatic Hy
Hare Phom?:
Ogviee Fhene:

Grate

LL. . :
tional Beale iisn ani .

Mejor Billy 4.

Cryanivetion: St:

Tenivivg Cxaug, Egiiu dip Forge Base, Floridy.
Howe Phone: esis ° a --
Office Phenet Eglin Abe Free: > Florida “631580

fay Ret. Re
siragionel Bralnetion
Egita dix Perse meee, F

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D. Het. b furnish 1 U-54 ana oeett an standby ecesaeity until
further nodes. Stantby capecity is heroin deVinead as espability ho
pooition the ejzeratt at any gort of cubry in eest, smth er simuthyest:
U. S. from Easton to Los fngeles within 25 heures. ;

EB. f#seuntings the subjevts whi be vellugesed Jn Havana cr Mezico
City, Bebb, 1 vill preyere mission folilers Ser Flights frea reat
. Broveblis porte of entry te Taclstien end Andrews Aly Ferte Base,

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fexcueo x. smn]
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